


Birthday

by starrystarrytrouble



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Birthday Presents, Books, Boss/Employee Relationship, Canon Compliant, Doctors & Physicians, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:33:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26603773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrystarrytrouble/pseuds/starrystarrytrouble
Summary: It's Ethan's birthday and MC has a special present for him.
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Kudos: 24





	Birthday

Golden sunlight filtered in through the balcony windows and warmed Ethan’s back.

Sifting through his manuscript, the breeze from the window gently lilted around him as he focused on the words on the screen.

He felt a figure sidle up behind him, her shadow blocking the light as she dipped down and ran kisses up his neck.

“Happy birthday,” she whispered lightly in his ear.

Eve picked up the one birthday card Ethan had propped up on the table amidst the pile of others. On the front was a hand holding a small dog.

“ _Hold onto your wiener_ ” she read aloud before flipping the card open with a grin, “ _Birthday fun is about to commence_.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Naveen’s still got that wild sense of humour. Whoa, who made you muffins?”

The table was laid out with a basket of muffins, coffee and orange juice.

“Sienna dropped them off in the office last night.”

Eve hid a smile at the thought of her best friend winning over the demanding attending.

“You know, I should be making breakfast for _you_ today. At your age, you should be taking things easy.”

Grinning at her own joke, she sat down and peeled back a cake, relishing the smell of cinnamon.

“I’m only 38. Besides, I was your age a decade ago, I should warn you it goes quickly.”

“You really are old. Ten years ago I was only 18,” Eve replied wickedly. “So what do you want to do today? You have the day off and I’m only working this morning.”

“I thought I’d work on my book, and I could make us dinner later?”

“Ethan, it’s your birthday. We should do something special. Celebrate.”

He took in her features, the tiny crinkle around her eyes, the stray hairs on her face and the softness of her lips curled into a faint smile.

Every day was a celebration with her.

His shoulders softened at the thought.

How would he ever be able to express the feeling that tightened his chest and the serene moments of peace that had become frequent visitors into his life.

This year had been so different with her in it. The calm he felt, the sheer contentment, was a bigger gift than anything one day could bring.

Warmth surged through him. He took a breath, ready to yield to the feeling. When the words left his lips, he barely recognized them.

“I’m not really a birthday person.”

Eve smiled, entirely unsurprised.

“You don’t want to do anything? Not even….”

Eyes locked on his, she leaned in close, and with strands of her hair dangling onto his shoulder, she whispered her offer in his ear.

 **“Oh? Just once?”** he smirked in reply.

She leaned back impressed, the faintest trace of vanilla still surrounding them both.

“You’re getting old, I’m surprised you can handle more.”

“That sounds like a challenge.”

“Always,” she shot back. 

With a final sultry smile, she broke eye contact and stood up.

“Just remind me to stop by the pet shop later. I need to pick up your present.”

She said it too casually.

It was almost lost on him. He nodded softly until the implication slapped him in the face.

“ _Pet shop_?”

His beautiful features were so utterly contorted in horror that she almost regretted it. Almost.

Her laughter rang out across the apartment.

“Ethan, I’m messing with you. You are so easy. Let me go grab it.”

He shook his head at himself, the note of amusement still vibrant in her voice.

And he marvelled at it. This whole moment. She was hiding his birthday present in _his_ bedroom.

Intimacy wasn’t something he’d mastered. But was it possible that in this last year, he’d learnt something more precious than all the years preceding it.

Eve returned with a package, gift-wrapped carefully with a gold bow.

Absorbing his look of awe and wonder, she swallowed nervously and placed it on the table.

“So my mom shipped this over from home. It’s messier than I remembered it but…well you’ll see.”

He opened the package, running a knife under the tape until all four corners of the paper slipped apart.

In front of him was a worn through turquoise book, its cover sellotaped in multiple places, and his own name shining back at him.

For a second, he felt his heart stop. 

He knew exactly what this was.

He ran his palm over the creases and opened the cover gently.

“I thought I signed this?” he said softly.

Eve bit her lip.

“Oh. No. That was er… Landry’s copy. He was too scared to ask you so I did.”

An affectionate smile swept over his face. He should’ve known that she would never fangirl over anyone herself, but that she’d stoop to it for a friend.

“This is my first copy. My brother bought it for my 19th birthday and I read it all through med school. There’s literally 7 years of notes in there. Every thought I had about it. Every time I read it, I added something.”

“It’s a total mess so I left it at home. When I joined Edenbrook, I got a clean new copy as I figured you might… end up seeing it.”

A rare blush crept over her and Ethan resisted the growing urge to reach over and kiss her immediately.

Clasping his fingers to hold back, he looked at her with adoration as she carried on.

“Anyway, thought you might want to see how much your book influenced me. Now that you’re working on your second one. I guess I wanted you to understand how much your work means. That… I wouldn’t be here without you.”

“Eve.”

Failing to hold back any longer, he pulled her to him and kissed her softly.

“It’s perfect,” he said as they broke apart, still keeping her close.

She beamed back at him, relief evident on her face.

“I’m gonna jump in the shower, I’ll be 2 minutes. Don’t miss me too much.”

She flashed him one last smile and turned away.

Ethan opened the book again, the familiar words _Diagnostic Principals_ looking unchartered and exotic in their new context.

He knew the book inside out, it was his crowning glory, his contribution to future diagnosticians worldwide.

This version was the best he’d ever seen it.

On every page were notes written in fluid handwriting. Some in pencil, some in black pen, others in dramatic reds and pinks with splashes of highlighter and at one point, what he strongly suspected was _crayon_.

In the margins were names and dates, case studies she’d jotted down from her own research. Question marks in places and in others, aggressive underlining, exclamation marks and further elaboration. In one chapter she wrote ‘yes yes yes’ on top of a paragraph. On another page was a fierce rebuttal of one of his theories, backed up with her own references and footnotes.

He read every word in absolute awe, a decade long dialogue unfolding between them before they had ever met.

Finally, he flicked to the acknowledgements page where he’d thanked Naveen, some other prominent doctors and the staff at Edenbrook.

At the bottom of the page, in careful capitals she’d written out the address of Edenbrook.

And next to it, Eve, this Eve Valentine who wasn’t even a doctor yet, had circled Ethan’s name and scrawled a note.

A line that made his heart flip.

He struggled to tear himself away from the four words when she stepped out of the bedroom, her hair still wet.

She paused in the doorway when she caught his expression.

“Eve. This book, it’s really special.”

“I always thought so. You wrote this when you were my age?”

“That’s not what I meant. Your copy of it. It’s…just what I wanted. Thank you.”

She slid back over to the table and sat next to him with a gentle smile.

“Actually, I have something for you too,” he placed a soft kiss on her hand and stood up.

“You know how birthdays work, right? _You_ get the presents. You don’t have to give me anything back.”

She watched him walk into the kitchen, following every step with relief. The book was chosen after long weeks of deliberation. Shopping trips with Bryce, endless online browsing with Sienna and Aurora, agonizing over the question: _What the hell do you buy Ethan Freakin’ Ramsey?_

And it was her mom, her wise wonderful mama, star witness to her decade long intellectual infatuation, who finally suggested it.

She stared at him rifling through a drawer.

Birthdays were about appreciation. But there was no gift, nothing money could buy that would fully explain to him how grateful she was for his existence.

Ethan came back to the table holding a long black box. He pushed it towards her, the smallest trace of anticipation on his face.

She lifted the lid.

Inside was a key.

Hanging off a sparkling chain which had a single silver letter E dangling from it. 

“Ethan?”

Ripples of joy that were building all morning crashed into one single wave of happiness.

She fiddled with the keyring, running her fingers through the three prongs of the letter.

“Is this E for Ethan’s apartment or is it E for Eve because it’s my key?”

“Both, actually.”

She looked at him searchingly.

“I wondered if you might want to stay here more… permanently.”

That increasingly ever-present joy swept over her again, this time alongside a rush of surprise. She flung her arms around him, wrapping him up completely and placing herself squarely in his lap.

“I’d love to.”

He pulled her in tighter, the glow of the sun painting them golden.

Over his shoulder she looked down at the book he’d left open on the last page.

Smiling at the big circle she’d drawn around _Ethan J Ramsey_ she remembered the exact moment, years ago, when she’d written in big letters next to it:

_Find this guy someday._


End file.
